Gate.



R. A. DRISCOLL.

GATE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 23, 1913.

R. A. DRISGOLL.

GATE. -v APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1913.

1,098,285 Patented May 26, 1914.

2 SHEBTBw-SHEBT 2.

ROY A. D'RISCOLL, OF ENSLEY, ALABAMA.

GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1914.

Application filed July 23, 1913. Serial No. 780,780.

To all 'whomz'z may concern.'

Be it lmown that I, ROY A. DniscoLL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Ensp One object of the invention is to produce a simple and improved device wherein the gate panels will be supported by means of links so that said panels, when the gate is opened, will swing into position closely adjacent to the posts or supports, the actual movement of the panels being of much less extent than if the panels were hinged directly upon the posts, thereby producing a simple and compact structure.

A further object of the invention is to simplify and improve the mechanism whereby the gate panels are supported and operated.

With these and yother ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood.v

that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a perspective view showingthe improved gate closed.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the .gate open. Fig. 3 is a detail view in side elevation .onfareduced scale, showing a portion of one of the gate panels and the supporting means therefor. Fig. l is a horizontal-sectional view taken through one of the gate posts on the line 4 4 in Fig. 1.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference,

rlChe gate posts 6 are provided with pintles A7 on which the Vfshaped links 8 are pivotally supported, said links being provided at their apices with pintles 9 on which the gate panels 1'0 are mounted, said panels being provided with eyes 11 to engage the pintles. Each gate panel is supported by means of two links disposed in a vertical plane, one above the other, and it will be observed that the upper links are slightly longer than the lower links, thus making it necessarypto dispose the upper and lower eyes 11 of each gate panel slightly out of vertical alinement. The result of this will be that when the gate panels are moved from a closed to an open position, said panels will be slightly tilted upwardly at their outer ends, thereby inducing agravitational downward strain which will be effective in assisting to close the gate.

Each gate post has at its upper end a bracket 12 supporting a lever A, one arm of which, 13, is connected by a link 14: with the upper edge of the gate panel 10 mounted on the post. The link 14 is preferably connected with the gate panel by means of a ball and socket or other universal joint 15 in order that the gate panel may be free to move in the desired directions. The other arm, 16, -of the lever A is connected by a link or rod17 with an arm 18 extending radially.v from a'roek shaft 19 which is sup- Aported beneath'thesurface of the ground vwithina suitable. casing, said rock shaft eX- tending beneath the ground between the two gate posts. Atubular casing 2O has been shown'in which the rock shaft may oscillate,

but any suitable casing may be provided for this purpose. The link or connecting rod 17 carries a weight 21 to counterbalan'ce the gate panel'.

The rock shaft 2O is provided with radially extending'arms or cranks 22, 23, said cranks being connected by links orrods 24E,

25 with cranks'26', 27 on rockshafts 28, 29

whichl are supported above the ground transversely of the approaches to the gate at either side thereof. Each rock shaft is provided with trip yokes 30, 31 one of which normally lies flat on the ground while the other extends upwardly at an angle.

The gate posts 6 have been illustrated as being tubular or hollow, and each is provided with a slot 32 adjacent to which pulleys 33 are supported. Guided over the pulleys 33 is a flexible element 34E, such as a rope or cable, which carries at one end a counterweight 35, the other end being connected at 36 with the gate panel, near the inner end of the latter, the designation inner end being applied to that end which is closely adjacent to the gate post when the gate is closed. lt will follow that when the gate is open, the counterweight 85 will be in an elevated position and that its weight will be exerted to assist in swinging the gate panel toward a closed position.

The invention has, in the foregoing, been described as being applied to a double gate; that is, to a gate having two panels; it is obvious, however, that the construction may be equally well applied to a gate composed of a single panel.

When in operation, the shaft 19 is rocked by the action of a wheel of an approaching vehicle engaging the upstanding yoke of the shaft 28 or 29 lying in the path thereof, the gate heilig at the time in closed position, the link 17 carrying the Counter weight 21 will descend, and the lever A will be rocked on its fulcrum, causing the link 14 to pull the gate panel with which it is connected toward the post on which it is mounted. It will be understood that the links 8 are to be connected with the respective posts slightly off center, so that the stress exerted by the link 14 will operate to fold the links 8 between the gate panel and the post with which they are connected, thereby opening the gate. At the same time the weight 35 will be elevated by the strain placed on the flexible member 34. The vehicle, after passing through the gate, will encounter another upstanding yoke on one of the rock shafts 28 and 29 and, depressing such yoke, will reverse the position of the parts including the rock shaft 19, thereby restoring the gate to a closed position, the closing action being assisted by the counter weight 35. The latter will also serve to maintain the gate panels in a closed or obstructing position, any tendency to swing the said panels open being counteracted by said weight and resulting, if persisted in, in elevating the weight.

It will be obvious that in constructing and assembling the improved gate, the supporting links 8 will be connected with the gate panel at a distance from the inner end of the latter approximately equal to the length of the links; also that the link let will preferably be connected with the gate panel about midway between the ends thereof. It

may also be stated that the best results will be obtained when the links 8 are of a length approximately one-fourth that of the gate panel.

rlhe improved gate, as will be seen from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, is simple in construction, and it is found to be thoroughly eflicient for the purposes for which it is provided.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. ln a gate, a supporting member, a gate panel, links connecting the panel with the supporting member, a lever fulcrumed on the supporting member, a link connecting one arm of the lever with the gate panel about midway between the ends thereof, and means for actuating the lever.

2. In a gate, a supporting member, a gate panel, links connecting the panel with the supporting member, a lever fulcrumed on the supporting member, a link connecting one arm of the lever with the gate panel about midway between the ends thereof, and means for actuating the lever including a rock shaft having a crank, a weight connecting said crank with the other arm of the lever, and a counter weight on said link.

3. ln a gate, a supporting member, a gate panel, upper and lower links connecting the panel with the supporting member, the upper link being of a length slightly exceeding that of the lower link, a lever fulcrumed on Y the supporting member, a link connecting one arm of the lever with a gate panel, and means for actuating the lever.

1. In a gate, a supporting member, a gate panel, links connecting the panel with the supporting member, a lever fulcrumed on the supporting member, a link connecting one arm of the lever with the gate, a guide member and a flexible element guided over said member and connected with the inner end of the gate panel, and a counter weight carried by said flexible element.

5. In a gate, a tubular supporting member, a gate panel, links connecting the panel with the supporting member, a lever fulcrumed on the supporting member, a link connecting one arm of the lever with the panel, a guide pulley supported within the tubular member, a flexible element guided over said pulley and having one end connected with the inner end of the panel, and a weight attached to the other end of the flexible element, the tubular supporting member having a slot for the passage of the flexible element.

6. ln a gate, a tubular post having a slot and an interiorly disposed guide pulley, a gate panel, links connecting the panel with the post, a lever fulcrumed on the post, a member connecting one arm of the lever with the gate panel, a iiexible element guid- In testimony whereof I ax my signature ed over the pulley Within the post and in presence of tWo Witnesses. through the slot of the latter and having one end connected With the inner end of the gate ROY A' DRISGOLL panel, a Weight connected with the other end Witnesses:

of the flexible element, and means for aetuat J. C. CURLEE,

ing the lever. 1 JNO. ELLIOTT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. C. 

